The Legend of Zelda: Fate of Heroes: The Beginning
by Bababud
Summary: Living in the slums of the Castletown has always made Kai feel different from those around her. Fate has dealt her family a poor hand, but when she meets a strange fairy boy, her luck seems to turn around. First in a series based on the storyline of oot, but with a few twists.
1. Prologue

[AN: This is my first fanfic so I'm still in the process of developing everything, but I promise that it gets better as the story progresses. So please review, comment, or make any suggestions, I'd appreciate it! This chapter is the backstory to my OC, so Link wont be introduced until next time.]

I realized at a young age that my life was very different from the other kids. My mother and I had been abandoned by my father shortly after I was born. Thanks to the massive amount of gossip that takes place within the Market, I learned that my father had already been married and he had belonged to a very wealthy and powerful family. My mother was his mistress, and he would have been disowned by his family had they known he fathered an illegitimate child.

We lived in the slums of the castle market in a small shack with just two rooms. Mother's health began deteriorating when I was about 5. We were very poor and could barely afford to keep food on the table, let alone go to the doctor. But my mother had a strong spirit and was able to find little jobs here and there. Sometimes when we had gone days without food, I would resort to stealing from vendors in the Market. Mother was always furious whenever I stole food, but then she would later thank me with tears in her eyes.  
"Kai, my little love," she would say "you are a true blessing."

The more her health declined, the more responsibility I felt towards her. I realized that she depended on me as much as I depended on her, so I at the age of 9 I had become an excellent thief. Baron was the owner of the Bazaar weapons shop in the main square. He was a large, frightening looking man but he had a kind heart. One day he had caught me trying to steal a sword from his shop, but knew of my situation and let me go. The following day my mother dragged me back to the shop by the ear, demanding that I apologize to him.  
"No need for that madam" he said gruffly. "I'll tell you what, the kid can make it up to me by becoming my apprentice. I'll even pay her if she does a good job!"

When I thought he wasn't looking, I would often play with the sword that I had attempted to steal from Baron. It was a long, heavy blade that was much too big for me at the time, but I still admired it. It had a worn, black hilt encrusted with an emerald at the end. I would swing it around back behind the shop, using old broken barrels as targets. Turns out that Baron would watch me every time I snuck away, and so he suggested that he teach me how to properly wield the weapon.  
"Not this one though. It is much too big for you. Try this one instead." He gingerly placed the sword back in its display and in exchange, gave me one that was more appropriately sized for my age. On slow days Baron would teach me how to spar. Every so often he took me with him to Kakariko village and Lon Lon Ranch to make special deliveries and to restock inventory. On the way he would tell me stories about his travels and encourage me to map out Hyrule Field to save for future adventures.  
"You never know where life will take you," he advised "it's better you prepare yourself for whatever the fates throw at you." Baron was an excellent teacher, both in the ways of the sword and in the random adventuring techniques he would teach me during our travels. Overcome with curiosity, I asked him why he used to travel so much.  
"Back in my youth, I was a well known adventurer." He admitted with a proud grin. "I sometimes took missions from the Knights of Hyrule Castle themselves! You have a lot of potential kid. I didn't take you in as my apprentice for nothing!"

When I wasn't working, I spent every minute with my mother. I could see her health growing worse every day and I often worried about her. But like I said, Mother was a strong spirit and did her best not to show any signs of weakness. She would try to divert my worries by telling me that I was lucky to have been blessed with my father's good health, deep blue eyes and long Hylian ears. She adored my dark, long locks and insisted on braiding my hair before work. But I knew that when she looked at me, she saw my father staring back at her and it broke her heart. So I grew to hate these things about myself. I wanted nothing to do with the bastard and wished that I looked nothing like him. I would never understand my mother's infatuation with my father. I could tell that she still loved him despite that fact that he had abandoned us. I, on the other hand, would never forgive him for breaking my mother's heart and throwing us into poverty.

* * *

One night after closing up shop, Baron told me to grab my sword and follow him, he had a special training session for me. We made our way to the front gate and after slipping the guard a few rupees, Baron led me through a side gate and into Hyrule Field. The field was illuminated in the pale moonlight shining above us as we made our way towards the right end of the moat. Just as I opened my mouth to ask Baron where we were going, a hand shot up from the ground, grabbing me by the ankle and pulling me down. Another hand shot up and slowly a skeleton started clawing its way out of the earth. Naturally, I started screaming and ran in the opposite direction, but Baron caught me by the wrist and spun me around.  
"This is what we've come here for!" He shouted excitedly. "Draw your weapon! Use my lessons to show the beast the warrior you have become!" He shoved me towards the Stalchild, and as I took another step towards it, another began clawing it's way out of the soil. And then another, and then two more. Soon I was outnumbered 4 to 1, and fear began washing over me.  
"There's too many!" I cried as I ran back to Baron's side. "They're going to kill me! Promise that you won't let them hurt me Baron!" He crouched down to my level.  
"Kid, I can't promise you that. Not one person in this world can protect you from feeling pain, not even you're own mother. In order to succeed in battle you must have two things: wisdom, to exploit your enemy's weakness and courage, to take action. I can promise you this, you will live to see the morning sun. Just listen to my instructions and you will succeed." Baron kept his promise that night. He patiently instructed me in the art of battle, and man did I get screwed up.

Baron returned me home late that night, only walking me to my door, fearing my mother's wrath. I opened the door to see a man dressed in armor, sitting at the table with my mother. Horror immediately spread across her face when she saw the state I was in. Baron's words proved wise, I had taken many blows in my battle, but I was ecstatic about the outcome. As I told her about my victory, she cursed Baron while tending to my wounds. Then she focused her anger towards me and began scolding me because I returned so late. But her words fell silent as I realized who the mystery man was. At his waist was a long red sheath containing a sword whose hilt was encrusted with precious gems. His golden blond hair was brushed down neatly behind his long Hylian ears. When our eyes met, the realization suddenly washed over me; he was my father. It was undeniable, when I looked into his eyes I had seen my own eyes looking back at me. "This her, isn't it?" He asked, as if I couldn't hear him. His dialect made it obvious that he was from a family of the upper class. He cautiously walked over to me and knelt down, his piercing blue eyes staring into mine as he grabbed my hands.  
"Kai," he said gently. "Its me, your father. I've come to bring you home with me. You'll have a much better life there, the life I should have given you a long time ago." I violently tore my hands out of his grasp and pushed him away.  
"You are no father of mine." I said defiantly, my voice shaking with the anger I had been repressing towards him for all of these years. "My father abandoned me and my mom when I was just an infant. There's no way I'm going anywhere with you! I'll never acknowledge you as my father! I have no father! " Tears blurred my vision as I ran past him to my mother's side. Why did he all of the sudden care about my well being? Where was he when Mother was so sick and bed ridden that she and I had to go days without food? And how in Din's name could he think that I would abandon my own mother in the health that she was in?! Didn't he care about _her_ well being at all?  
"Get out." my mother snarled, anger rising in her throat. "I won't let you take her from me! She's MY daughter, understand? You gave up your rights as a father when you left us! Now get out of our life!"

By her reaction, it seemed that my father hadn't revealed his true intentions to her before he spoke to me. I watched as she shoved him towards the door, crying and cursing him for trying to take away her only meaning in life. A large, armor clad woman with short white hair entered the room, grabbing my father by the shoulder.

"Enough of this sir," she pleaded. "You have caused enough sorrow, please just leave them be." Her gaze lingered on me for a few seconds before leading my father out the door.


	2. The Fairy Boy

Several days had passed since my father's late night visit, yet I was still enraged by his actions. Once again, he came, broke my mother's heart, and vanished just as suddenly as he appeared. We still hadn't spoken about what happened that night, but I was perfectly okay with that. His words only made me bitter and angry, I wanted nothing more than to forget that he even existed and just return to the way things were.

* * *

After a full morning of deliveries to the Castle and Kakariko Village, Baron decided to let me take off earlier than usual. I still had a few hours to kill before dinner, so I decided to take a stroll through the main square of the Market, hoping to find a wealthy sucker to pickpocket. The square was more packed than usual because of the upcoming Festival of Time, giving me plenty of opportunities to score. As I combed through the crowd, looking for my victim, I spotted a strange looking kid. I watched him as he took in his surroundings. He looked about my age and was dressed in a green tunic with a matching green hat. His clothes made it obvious that he wasn't from around here, therefore making him an easy target. It was likely that he was in town for the festival; this time of year always attracted a bunch of clueless foreigners. I quickly started to approach him from behind before I missed my chance, eyeing the wallet tied around his belt. Just as I was about to grab the goods, a fairy shot out from under his shield and started flying around in circles above my head.

"Hey!" her little voice cried out. "What do you think you're doing?!"

_Busted!_

I reached back for my sword, hoping that I could scare the boy into handing over his rupees. But before I could even draw my weapon he had his own sword at my throat.

_Aw man, I'm dead. I'm so caught. He's going to turn me over to the guards for sure…_

My panic levels began to rise as I thought about all of the possible consequences.

_I'm going to end up in the dungeon! There's no way Mother can afford to bail me out! She's going to be left all alone again. Oh Goddess, please don't let her die while I'm locked up…_

All of these thoughts raced through my head as I stared into my captor's eyes. His eyes were a beautiful shade of dark blue, but boy did they look angry. He was obviously not amused by my efforts to rob him.

"Forget her!" the fairy said, returning to the boy's side. "We don't have time for this! We need to find a way to the castle!"

"Yeah, you're right." He sighed as he lowered his sword. He studied my face for a few seconds before disappearing back into the crowd, running in the opposite direction of the castle.

* * *

The next morning I told Baron about my strange encounter with the fairy boy. He lectured me about my thieving ways of course, but his anger turned into fascination when I told him that a fairy had blown my cover.

"A fairy you say?" he mused, twirling his beard as he often did when he was in deep thought. He ordered me to watch the front of the shop and disappeared into the back, probably to dig up one of his old adventure journals. Sure enough, he came back with a battered book in hand. He flipped through the pages until he found the one he was looking for.

"Ah ha! Here it is. According to this legend, fairies can only be found in the Kokiri Forest. They are the guardians of the forest children who live there." He explained.

"So, does that mean that the boy from yesterday is one of those forest kids?"

"Well here's the thing: it says here that the children can't leave the forest. If they do, they die."

"But the boy from yesterday looked fine to me. Maybe your journal is wrong." As I said this Baron shot me a deadly glare. He hated it when I criticized his journals, but I did have a point; If the Kokiri couldn't leave the forest, then how did this one manage to?

"It is possible that my journal could be mistaken," Baron said thoughtfully "but it's likely not probable. Now enough of this fairy boy talk! I have an important delivery for you to make."

Baron took me around back behind the shop and helped me load some crates onto my cart. He explained that they contained some supplies that the Knights of Hyrule had ordered. Before I left to make my delivery, he made sure to give me another one of his adventuring tips;

"Make sure you stop by your house to get supplies. You don't want to get stuck overnight unprepared again do you?" Of course, he was referring to the time I had to spend the night on the castle trail. The line to get into the castle was so long that I didn't even make it to the gates before sundown. I was forced to stay out there the entire night and a good portion of the following afternoon and I had gone the entire time without food or water. Instead of consoling me, Baron only laughed at my foolish mistake.

"Come on Kid! That's one of the fundamental lessons of being an adventurer! Always be prepared!"

Following Baron's advice, I stopped by my house to prepare for my trip to the castle. When I told Mother where I was making my delivery, she immediately insisted that I changed into one of my better dresses.

"But Mom, it's not like I'm going _inside_ the castle!" I protested.

"But Kai, what if Princess Zelda is out taking a walk on the castle grounds and you happen to meet her? You wouldn't want to meet the Princess of Hyrule dressed in these rags!" She countered. Whenever I made deliveries to the castle she always made a big deal out of it, dreaming up surreal scenarios that we both knew would never happen. After some more bickering, I finally gave in and let my Mother have her way. I changed into one of my good dresses (by good I mean one that isn't too stained or torn) and Mother braided my hair like she always did before I departed for work. She packed up an unnecessary amount food and some blankets onto my cart, fearing that I would be stranded again.

"Be safe on your trip, my little love." she whispered as she kissed my cheek.

* * *

By the time I left my house it was already late afternoon, I would have to hurry if I wanted to make it to the castle before the gates closed. As I was making my way through the bustling main square, I saw a familiar green figure mixed in with the crowd. It was that fairy boy again, looking as lost as ever. I remembered his fairy had said something about finding the castle and wondered if he ever found it. Then again, the castle Market was a pretty massive place especially to an outsider, so it was likely that he never did make it.

_Oh well. Not my problem._

I turned to head back on my way but as I did, I nearly ran over a chicken as it ran past. Little did I know that there was a girl chasing after it, and in her haste she bumped into my cart, tipping it over on to its side.

"Hey! Come back here!" I yelled as the girl disappeared into the crowd.

_Stupid kid! If I didn't have to worry about my precious cargo, I would have chased her down and shoved that chicken down her dress!_

I carefully inspected the crates, looking to see if any of them had busted open. After making sure everything was still secure, I kneeled down and attempted to push the cart back in its upright position but it was too heavy for me to lift on my own. I looked helplessly at my overturned cart, trying to think of a solution. If I didn't hurry, I really would have to spend the night outside again!

"Need a hand?" a voice asked. I turned around to find the fairy boy standing behind me, still dressed in the same clothes as yesterday. Baron had told me that during his travels he often stayed in the same clothes he ventured out in, so maybe this kid was an adventurer too?

"No. I'm fine." I mumbled, but the fairy boy ignored my words and helped set my cart back up anyway. As we worked, I tried desperately to hide my face so he wouldn't recognize me. There were a couple of guards not too far from us and it would have been a piece of cake for him to turn me in.

"So, even though you tried to rob me yesterday I didn't report you to the guards." He said casually after we were finished. I tried making a break for it, but my cart prevented me from moving very fast and the fairy boy easily kept pace with me.

"I don't know about you, but I think that since I did you a favor, you owe me one now."

The jerk was trying to blackmail me! But, I guess I couldn't really blame him since I _did_ try to steal from him. I had no choice but to comply, so I gave him my fiercest scowl and asked, "What do you want?"

"Take us to Hyrule Castle immediately! We need to speak to the Princess!"

Since I was already on my way to the castle, it wasn't too much of a hassle taking the fairy boy with me. In fact, as soon as I agreed to take him, he insisted on pulling my cart for me. He was actually really kind and caring, something I had never experienced coming from a stranger (especially one that I tried to steal from). He introduced himself as Link and his fairy's name was Navi.

"Are you from the forest?!" I blurted out, unable to contain my own curiosity. Link laughed a little and confirmed my suspicions; yes, he had come from the forest and yes, he was one of the Kokiri children who lived there.

"The Great Deku Tree sent Link here to meet with the Princess!" Navi explained to me. But her explanation only created more questions for me.

"But wait, how did a tree tell you to come here? And why do you need to see the Princess so badly?"

Navi explained to me how the Great Deku Tree had been the guardian of the forest, and how he had become cursed. Link went on to tell me of the adventure he had inside the tree; exploring every passage, finding treasure and fighting off monsters throughout the way.

"With Navi's help of course." He added.

"Wow, you're like a real adventurer!" I exclaimed as he finished his story. I had to admit, even though I wasn't fond of him at first, I admired his courageous spirit. Ever since Baron took me in as his apprentice, I had been longing to go on the kind of adventure that Link had gone on.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that." Link said, blushing slightly "What about you? Do you like to go on adventures too?"

"I wish" I sighed. I told him about my mother's situation and how I had come to be Baron's apprentice. I told him about my father, my first night outing in Hyrule Field, and how I liked to make maps of the places that I visited. It was odd, only because I had never really confided to anyone about my odd life. But at the same time, it was a relief to finally be able to speak to someone so freely. I guess this is what it's like to have friends.

"You know the castle guards aren't just going to let you march up to the Princess's room." I pointed out as we neared the gates.

"Why not?" Link asked, obviously unaware of the customs of the Royal family.

"Well, she is the _Princess_ of Hyrule after all. I'm sure her room is heavily guarded. If you're going to get inside the castle walls, you're going to have to sneak in."

"How do expect us to do that?" Navi chimed in

"Just keep quiet and follow my lead. I have an idea."


	3. Hyrule Castle

As we made our way up the Castle trail, Navi insisted on flying ahead to scope out the guard situation. It was obvious that she had doubts that I could actually sneak Link into the Castle. I couldn't blame her. I still wasn't sure how I was going to get him to the Princess myself, but Link had faith that I could do it. He was definitely way too trusting. It was a good thing that he had Navi as a partner. She was very smart, clear headed, and practical, a perfect match for his naivety and impulsive tendencies. I wondered if all the fairies in the Kokiri Forest were as wise as she was. We were nearly at the front gate when Navi came zooming back.

"There's a ton of guards lurking around up ahead! We have to find a different path or we'll be caught for sure!"

"Relax, I make deliveries here all the time. All you guys have to do is just keep quiet and follow my lead." I assured her as we pushed forward.

"Halt! Beyond this gate lies the Castle of Hyrule's Royal family. State your business!" the guard at the gate ordered. It seemed he was trying to sound intimidating, but his young voice wasn't helping much.

"I am the apprentice of Baron, the owner of the Bazaar weapons shop in the Market. I have come to deliver equipment for the Knights of Hyrule Castle." I recited, rolling my eyes as I did so. Every time I made deliveries to the Castle it was the same routine, you would think that the guards would recognize me by now.

"Oh, Kai! It's you!" the guard said to my surprise. He lifted the front of his helmet, revealing his face. It was Tobias, the son of the Potion Shop's owner. His light brown hair was hidden beneath his helmet, but his emerald green eyes and caramel skin was now visible through the slot. Even though he was only 4 years older than me, he had recently been recruited and taken in as a knight's apprentice. He came by Bazaar all the time to run errands for his master and often asked about my mother's health. I suspected that his mother must have blabbed to him about my family's situation. Gossip was a past time among the older women in the Castletown. Even though I knew his intentions were pure, I still resented the fact that he took pity on me.

"Oh, hey Tobias. I didn't know that you were on guard duty now." I said politely.

"Pretty cool huh? It's only for today though, there's more guards patrolling the castle grounds than usual because some Gerudos are here visiting the King!" he explained excitedly.

"That's weird." I mumbled to myself. Baron had told me that the Gerudo rarely left their desert, especially with their bad standing with the King. Maybe they were in town for the festival?

"Who is this?" Tobias asked, interrupting my train of thought.

"Oh him? This is my friend Link. He's – uh" Shoot! I hadn't prepared an explanation, so I drew a complete blank.

"I'm helping out with the shop!" Link chimed in.

"Y-Yeah! Baron has been really busy preparing the shop for the festival so Link has been helping us out." I finished.

"Oh, I see. Well since things are kind of crazy around here I have to escort you to the Castle gate." Tobias clicked his spear on the ground twice and the gate slowly started to open. He led us along the path to the Castle, trying to start conversation along the way. I usually wasn't one for small talk, but I realized that I had no idea how we were going to get to the Princess and this was an excellent opportunity to try and get some inside information.

"So since you're a knight's apprentice now, does that mean you've met the Princess?" I asked casually.

"N-Not exactly." He said. I could see him blushing slightly under his helmet. "I've never spoken to her directly, but I did get to help escort her to her garden this morning."

"Really?" I responded, trying my best to sound genuinely excited.

"Yeah! I couldn't really see her very well with this helmet on though. The knights should really redesign it; I have like no peripheral vision whenever I wear it. I can only see what's directly in front of me!" Tobias took his helmet off and stuck it on my head so I could see what he was talking about. He was right; the sides of the helmet impeded peripheral vision significantly.

"Yeah, you're right... So the Princess really has her own garden?" I asked, trying to get him to talk about the Princess again.

"Yup, you should see it. It's beautiful! Every morning the Princess goes to her garden on the east end of the Castle. It must be her favorite spot or something."

We finally had arrived at the front gate of the Castle where two knights were standing guard. Tobias nodded to them and they parted for us so we could pass. We continued walking along the east side of the moat until we arrived at the unloading area, where a bunch of crates were already stacked.

"Here we are! Do you guys want some help unloading your cart? Its nearly dusk and the gate to the trail will be closed soon."

"No!" I said quickly. "We can handle it from here. Shouldn't you be getting home soon anyway?"

"Yeah, you're right." He sounded disappointed for some reason. "Oh yeah! There's something I've been meaning to ask you..." He said, taking off his helmet so he could see me better.

"What is it?" I asked hesitantly. Link couldn't help but watch as Tobias shifted around nervously.

"Well, since the festival is tomorrow I wanted to see if you would, well, spend it with me. I heard that there's going to be lots of game stalls this year and – "

"I don't think that's such a good idea." I said cutting him off. "Your mom isn't too fond of me remember? I don't want to cause any trouble for your family."

"I know, but I thought I would give it a shot anyway." He sighed.

"I guess I'll let you two get to work then. It was nice meeting you Link. Bye Kai, I'll see you around." Tobias shook Link's hand and gave me a pat on the head like he always did before taking his leave.

"What do you mean by his mom isn't fond of you?" Link asked after he left.

"Well, life in the Castle Town is probably a lot different than life in the forest. People here are quick to judge a person based on how much money they have." I explained as I began unloading my cart.

"So, what does that have to do with Tobias' mom not liking you?"

"Well for starters, I am considered to be one of the lowest of the low when it comes to social standing. Not only am I poor, but I was born out of wedlock, which I guess is a big deal to grownups. Tobias and I were actually pretty good friends when I was younger. But when his mom found out about my family's situation she forbade him from playing with me. She thinks that if he hangs around someone like me he'll ruin the family's reputation. According to her an illegitimate child such as myself doesn't even deserve to walk on the same side of the street as him."

"That's awful.." Link said. He gave me a pitied look, a look that I hated receiving.

"Well I could care less." I lied. "Now hurry up and help me unload the rest of the cart."

* * *

Once we were finished, I sat down on top of a crate to rest and plan out our next move. I got up and tried opening the door that receives the deliveries, but it was locked of course. That's when I noticed that Link was nowhere in sight.

"Link? Where did he go..."

"Up here!" I looked up and there he was, attempting to claw his way up Hyrule Castle.

"Get down here you idiot! You're going to blow our cover!"

"I told you that was a bad idea." I heard Navi say as he descended.

"Don't you ever think before you act? Pull another stunt like that and we'll both end up in the dungeon for sure!"

"Oh he's always pulling stupid stunts like this." Navi sighed. "That's why the Great Deku Tree put me in charge of guiding him. Who knows what kind of mess he would be in without me!"

"S-Shut up Navi! I would be fine on my own!" Link stammered as his face grew bright red. "So what do we do now Kai?"

His pleading blue eyes suddenly made me feel the enormous pressure of this impossible task that I had agreed to do.

"Umm…Uh… Just wait. I need a few minutes to think." I sat down against one of the crates and closed my eyes. Baron made me do this whenever I was feeling overwhelmed at work. It really did help me concentrate as I searched my thoughts for any rumors I might have heard about the Castle.

_Hmm..Well there were those ladies who were talking about some really tall vines somewhere…_

I glanced around but saw no such vines. Wait! The other day I had overheard something those two weird brothers had said. They were always bickering with each other in the main square. The crazy looking one was telling some bizarre story about how he had tried to sneak into the castle. This was the spot where he had been caught! He had said that there was an opening in the wall that was too small for him to crawl through. I got up and looked behind the stack of crates for a better look at the wall. There it was just like he had said; a small opening in the wall of the castle had water streaming out of it, into the moat. That entry must lead to the Princess's garden. However, the sun was now long gone, and I was sure that the Princess was as well. We couldn't go back to the front gate; otherwise we wouldn't be able to get back in.

"Given that we're on the east side of the castle, that opening over there looks like it probably leads to the Princess's garden." I said, pointing out the opening to Link and Navi. "But since it's getting late I'm sure the Princess isn't there anymore. It looks like our best bet would be to camp out here until morning and wait for her to come back."

"That sounds like a good idea." Navi said in agreement.

"But won't the guards find us?" Link asked

"We'll be fine. The guy who makes deliveries from Lon Lon Ranch always falls asleep over here and no one ever notices."

"Alright, then it's settled. Let's set up camp then shall we?"

* * *

Link

* * *

After it was decided that we would camp out on the castle grounds, Kai suggested that we make a fort out of the crates.

"This way, if a guard happens to come by while we're sleeping, he won't notice us." She explained after I gave her a puzzled look. I had to admit, her idea was pretty brilliant. All of Kai's ideas so far were actually really brilliant now that I thought about it; choosing to stay on the Castle Trail, making conversation with that guy to get inside information, and now this! She was really hard to read because of her indifference towards others, but she was a smart girl. So far she was turning out to be a pretty valuable ally on my journey. I hoped that I could rely on her in the future.

After setting up our crate-fort, I helped Kai spread out some blankets to sleep on. It was then when I realized just how hungry I was. How long had it been since I had eaten last? Since I left the forest? My stomach let out a loud cry and I slapped my hand over it trying to muffle its complaints.

"Aw man. I'm starving.." I mumbled, doubling over from the hunger pains.

"Good thing mother packed me some food. It probably won't be much, but we can share it." Kai said. She walked over to her cart and pulled out a box wrapped in cloth. Kai set the box down in our little fort and untied the cloth, revealing an amazing looking meal! There was rice and stew and bread and vegetables, all of which smelled heavenly.

"Not much? This looks like there's plenty for both of us!" I said as the drool collected in my mouth. I was just about to dig in when I noticed the look on Kai's face. Instead of her usual indifferent look, her eyes were wide with a look of panic. She was staring at the food in front of us, her eyes darting back and forth as if she were counting every morsel. She almost looked like she was about to cry.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"This food…there shouldn't be this much food." She whispered. "Why does she always do this?! She knows how sick she is! Yet she keeps skipping meals because of me! It's my fault that she's sick! Why does she feel obligated to starve herself on my behalf?!" Angry tears were running down her face as she vented her frustrations. It finally hit me that she was talking about her mother. She must have packed her own dinner too without Kai knowing. What could I possibly say to comfort her? I was at a loss for words. So instead of saying anything, I just wrapped my arms around her, hoping that would be enough to calm her down. It wasn't.

"Let go of me!" she cried, pushing me away. "I have to go back! I have to give her food back…"

"Enough!" Navi yelled, finally taking control of the situation. "Instead of feeling guilty you should feel blessed! Blessed that somebody cares about you so much that they would rather starve than have you go to sleep hungry. Now suck it up and eat your food! Don't let your mother's suffering go in vain."

It wasn't the sort of comforting I had in mind, but it did the trick. Kai wiped her tears with the back of her hand, trying to make them stop.

"Y-Y-You're right Navi." She sniffled. "I'm sorry I pushed you Link. I – I just.."

"It's okay." I said gently. "Let's eat."

Kai didn't say much for the rest of the night. She didn't eat much either, claiming that she was saving the rest for breakfast. But I could tell she still felt guilty for eating her mother's food. After we were finished eating Kai went right to bed. I, on the other hand, couldn't fall asleep. I just had too much on my mind. I took out the Kokiri Emerald and thought about everything that's happened in the past few days; meeting Navi, breaking the Great Deku Tree's curse, the Great Deku Tree's death, leaving the forest, meeting Kai, and now I was about to meet the Princess! My heart raced just thinking about our meeting.

"Mmm. Ugh – so hot." Kai was mumbling in her sleep. She wore a pained expression as she continued to sleep talk, her breath quickening as she spoke.

"Wait! … Don't leave – No! I won't leave her!" she cried.

"She must be having a nightmare." Navi whispered, catching me off guard. "She kind of reminds me of you when you sleep. You've been having nightmares every night since I met you!"

I shivered at the thought of my own nightmare. It had been reoccurring for weeks now but it still gave me chills. Kai continued to breathe heavily as she continued to talk about the fire in her night terror. I took off my hat, dipped it in the moat, and rang it out so it was damp. I folded it and put it on her forehead, hoping that the coolness would calm her down. After keeping it there for a few minutes it seemed to do the trick; her breathing steadied and she was quiet again.

"This girl has seen many hardships." I said to Navi sadly.

"It seems so, but she's a good kid once you get to know her."

"Yeah."

Drowsiness finally began washing over me, so I lied down next to Kai and let the sound of the moat water lull me to sleep.


	4. Princess Zelda

_Hot… It's so hot._

_The fire roared on either side of me as I tried to find an exit. Pieces of the ceiling began collapsing all around me as the flames licked my face. I was struggling for breath as I tried to navigate out of the burning building. I could see a light not too far ahead. It was a way out! I began running. I was nearly there when I heard screaming. The voice was all too familiar. _

_"Mama!" I cried. I spun back around, trying to locate her in the flames. I began running back into the fire, desperately searching for her. I could see her silhouette lying on the ground. She wasn't moving. I sprinted toward her but seemed to get no closer than I had been. The flames grew more violent with each passing moment, creeping closer to my mother's unconscious body until it finally reached her…_

"No!" I cried, snapping out of my dream. Disoriented, I looked around trying to figure out where I was. Link was mumbling beside me in his sleep.  
That's right. We had spent the night outside the castle. I pulled my knees to my chest as I tried to steady my breath. I had been having that nightmare for weeks now, but this was the first time my mother had been in it. I rested my head on top of my knees and felt something slide off of my head.  
It was Link's hat. How did that get there? Link let out another whimper and twitched in his sleep. It looked like I wasn't the only one who was having bad dreams. I covered him with my blanket and lied back down; my nightmare still had me sweating. Wondering what time it was I looked up at the sky, trying to locate the sun. Baron had taught me how to tell time by watching the sun's position, another one of his adventuring lessons. The sun was barely peeking out from behind the hills, so that meant that dawn was approaching. I figured that I still had a few hours left until then so I closed my eyes, praying that the nightmare wouldn't return.

* * *

_Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. _

_Ugh. So annoying… What is that sound? It sounds like….armor_

I jolted awake at the realization. The guards were headed this way and surely that meant that the Princess was following suit. I crawled over to the crack in the fort that I had left just for this purpose and watched as they approached. There were at least eight guards, all marching on either side of the Princess as they made their way towards us. The guards stopped at the receiving door, letting the Princess enter first of course. But before she did, she looked over at the crate fort that Link and I had constructed the night before.  
Her pale skin glistened in the early morning light. She was wearing a wrap on her head, but I could see her blonde hair peeking out from underneath it. She was wearing a long, white and purple dress which matched her hair wrap. On it was the crest of the Royal Family; I had seen it all over the castle gates and on the castle itself. But what really captivated me were those dark blue eyes, they were gorgeous. She truly was Hyrule's beauty. It was at that moment when I had realized that our eyes were locked on each other; she was looking right at me! I ducked back in to the safety of our fort, praying to the goddesses that she didn't see me. I didn't dare look back until I heard the door open and I peeked out just in time to watch as the guards followed her inside.

"Alright, time to get to work."

* * *

Link

* * *

_The rain howled and lighting flashed as I approached Hyrule Castle. The drawbridge was beginning to open as I waited in front of it. Lighting flashed again. I could hear the galloping of a horse. A white horse sprinted past me with two figures on its back. The smaller figure looked back at me. I turned back towards the Castle and there he was. A sinister looking man on a black horse stood before me. His hand began to glow and the light shot out towards me…_

_BANG_

"GAH!" I cried out, snapping out of my nightmare. I looked around, trying to figure out where that noise came from. That's when I noticed that a chunk of our fort was missing.

"Kai?"

"Down here!"

I looked over the edge of the moat and found her on a platform that was at the water's level. She had a milk crate down there with her.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to make a platform so you can get to the other side of the moat." She responded with her usual indifferent voice.  
It seemed like she had recovered from the night before. I reached my hand out to her and helped her climb out of the moat. I noticed that she had taken out her braid and let her hair fall down her back. I hadn't realized just how long her hair was before. It looked really nice when she wore it down.

"Help me push another crate on top of that one. I think that should make it tall enough so you can hop across." She said, snapping me out of my thoughts. With my help we were easily able to stack the milk crate on top of the other. I climbed on top of it, helping Kai up afterwards, and found that she was right; from here I could easily hop across the moat over to the opening in the wall.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye..." she said quietly.  
I turned back to thank her for all of her help, but the words were caught in my throat. After thinking about the last couple of days we had spent together, I had realized something; I didn't want to leave her. I wanted her to stay with me, but I wasn't sure if she would.

"Actually, I kind of…well, I um" I stammered. I felt so nervous that I couldn't even look her in the face, so I stared at my feet as I tried to summon the courage to ask her to come with me.

"I…I want you...to come with me..." I looked up just in time to see Kai's eyes widen as her face turned a deep shade of pink. It looked like my question had caught her by surprise. I don't think she realized just how much she blushed whenever she was uncomfortable or taken by surprise. The day she had tried to rob me, her face was bright red when I confronted her. And even though she had tried to keep her composure, she kept blushing yesterday when she was talking to that guard. Her flushed face always gave her true emotions away. It was kind of…adorable.

"You…want me to come with you?" She asked, now staring at her own feet.

"Of course!" Navi chimed in. "There's no way we would have made it this far without you! You deserve to meet the Princess too!"

"Yeah, we need you Kai! So come on! Let's go together!" I said, grabbing her hand.  
She tore her gaze away from the ground and looked at me, at first with uncertainty, but then her face softened and she flashed a huge grin at me. I was so used to her usual blank expression that her smile took me by surprise. She looked so...pretty.

* * *

Kai

* * *

"I-I'm going to meet the Princess!" I gushed, unable to contain my excitement. Mother had always nagged me about the possibility of meeting Princess Zelda, but never in a million years did I think it would really happen! Link stared at me with red cheeks as I tried to calm myself down. Why was he so flustered anyway? Was it that embarrassing to admit that he needed help from a girl? I looked down and realized that he was still holding my hand. Now I was the one who was flustered.

"W-we should get going!" I said, gently pulling my hand out of his grasp.

"Y-yeah!" Link agreed, finally snapping out of it. He leapt across the moat with ease, thanks to the crates we stacked up. It was a little more difficult for me to hop across, but I managed to make it to the other side without falling into the moat.

"Ladies first." Link said, motioning to the opening in the castle wall. I bunched up my dress in attempts to keep it from getting wet and crawled through the hole. When I reached the other side, I found myself in a small fountain. To my right was the other side of the receiving door, so I knew we were headed in the right direction. I waited for Link to breach the other side of the hole before peeking around the corner.

There was a guard patrolling around a large topiary bush. Beyond him were two huge fountains with two more guards patrolling around them.  
My heart pounded nervously against my chest as I mentally prepared myself for the oncoming challenge. Getting on to the Castle grounds was all too easy, but sneaking past these guards was on a whole other level.

"Aw this is going to be a piece of cake!" Link whispered beside me. I gave him a questioning look, but he only giggled at my weak nerves.

"Don't you remember what Tobias said about their helmets? They can barely see out of them! All we have to do is make sure we're not in front of their line of sight and we'll be fine!" Link explained.  
The thought _had_ crossed my mind, but I still feared what would become of us if we were to get caught. But of course, Link wasn't concerned with any of my worries as he pulled me across the courtyard. I followed closely behind him as we slipped past the first guard with ease when his back was turned to us. Link led the way again as we shadowed the next guard until we made it to the other side of the fountains. I had to hand it to him; Link had a lot of courage. The possibility of spending time in the dungeon didn't faze him at all as he silently navigated us past the patrolling guards. After slipping past the last pair of guards, we ducked inside a short tunnel. At the other end I could make out a figure in a long white and purple dress, peeking through a window.

This was it! The Princess's garden! I trembled with a combination of nervousness and excitement as we entered the garden. Link walked ahead of me, obviously anxious to speak with the Princess. When we got to the small set of stairs leading to the window she was looking into, she turned around, her dark blue eyes wide with shock.

"Who – who are you?!" she gasped. "How did you get past the guards?"  
Her panicked tone made my heart sink into my gut. I opened my mouth to explain our situation to her but Navi came flying out from behind Link's shield and the Princess let out another gasp.

"Is that…a fairy?" She turned her attention towards Link now. "Are you by chance – from the forest?"

"I am." Link nodded. "The Great Deku Tree sent me here to give you this –" he pulled out a large green stone and the Princess began giggling with joy.

"Oh! That's it! The Spiritual Stone of the forest! Then – you must be part of my prophecy!" she cried out.  
Link and I exchanged confused looks, unaware of what was going on. The Princess must have read our confusion and began apologizing.

"Oh my! How rude of me! I haven't even properly introduced myself!" she said, composing herself. "My name is Zelda, Princess of Hyrule."

"I'm Link and this is my fairy Navi."

"Nice to meet you Link. And who might this be?" she asked, shifting her attention to me.  
My face immediately lit up.

"M-my name is Kai. I live in the Market. It is an honor to meet you, your highness." I said, giving her my best curtsy.  
I had never met anybody of importance, let alone a member of the Royal Family, so I was trying to be as respectful as possible. However, Princess Zelda merely giggled at my formal behavior.

"Kai...What a pretty name. It sounds, familiar somehow. " she mused. "It is very nice to meet you as well...Huh?" She paused, taking a few steps closer to me. She gazed into my eyes for a moment, and I stared back confused.

"Ahh. So you're the pair of eyes that were watching me this morning." She said finally.  
I felt my face turn two shades darker, coming to the realization that she _had_ seen me while I was spying on her.

"We – I mean. I –"

"Hehe oh, no need to be embarrassed. I'm actually quite impressed that you two were able to find me." She gently reached for my hand and Link's and led us to the window she had been looking through moments ago.

"I had a dream. In it, dark storm clouds covered all of Hyrule. But suddenly, a ray of light shot out from the forest, parting the clouds and lighting up the ground. The light took the form of a figure holding a green stone, followed by a fairy." She explained.  
"I knew that my dream must have been a prophecy that somebody would come to me from the forest. I know that all this must sound crazy to you, but I think that you represent that light Link. Let me tell you about the story of the Sacred Realm. It has been passed down by the Royal Family for generations…"

To my surprise, Princess Zelda was telling a tale that I was already quite familiar with. It was the legend of the Triforce. The Triforce contained the power of the gods and had been hidden somewhere in Hyrule by the goddesses. According to the legend, whoever holds the Triforce in his hands is granted a wish. If his heart is righteous, then Hyrule would enter an age of prosperity. But if his heart is evil, then the land would be thrown into darkness and destruction. In order to protect the Triforce from evil, the ancient sages built the Temple of Time, which housed the Door of Time, the entrance to the Sacred Realm. It is said that the only way to open it is to collect three Spiritual Stones and have the treasure kept by the Royal Family; the Ocarina of Time. This story had been told to me by my mother many times. But – how had she come to learn it? Had my father told it to her?  
He _was_ a knight, so maybe he had learned it from working in the Castle.

"Link, Kai. Come take a look through this window." The Princess stepped aside, allowing us to take a peek. Link and I pressed our heads together and gazed through the window. Inside were several decorated knights, standing guard by what seemed to be the throne. From here I couldn't see the King or Queen, but a tall, dark skinned man came in to our view and bowed before them. I could tell from his appearance that he was a Gerudo, his dark skin and red hair was a dead giveaway. But something about him was…odd. It was hard for me to pinpoint, but it was as if he had a dark aura surrounding him.

"Do you see that man with the evil eyes? That's Ganondorf, leader of the Gerudos. The other element of my dream, the dark clouds, they must symbolize that man!" the Princess said with certainty.

"Have you spoken to your father about your dream?" I asked, steeping away from the window while Link continued to spy through the glass.

"…Yes. But he insists that it isn't a prophecy." Princess Zelda sighed. Link let out a gasp and quickly turned away from the window. Judging from the look on his face, it seemed somebody must have seen him.

"Did he see you?" the Princess giggled. "Don't worry. He doesn't know what we're up to…yet!"

"Do you think he's after the Triforce?" Link asked.

"Without a doubt. Why else would he come to Hyrule? Even though he swore his alliance to my father, I feel that he is not sincere. We have to protect the Triforce from him! If he gets his hands on it, then he'll conquer all of Hyrule – no – the world!"

"We will do whatever we can to stop that from happening!" Navi cried out. Link nodded in agreement and the Princess thanked them both. Then she turned to me.

"Kai, I know this is a huge task, but can I ask of your help as well?"

"M-Me? You want me to help?" I was shocked.  
I thought that this conversation was directed only at Link. I hadn't realized that the Princess wanted me to aid her as well!

"Of course! I can tell that you've been helping Link out so far. I know that you must have other obligations, but this is for the sake of Hyrule! I need you to continue to help Link in any way that you can."

"It would be my honor." I said, my face starting to grow hot again. Damn my fair complexion. I hated how I became so flushed without warning.

I suggested that I come back to give the Princess a progress report on Link's journey every week so that she could stay updated with his status. I explained to her my mother's illness, so I couldn't stay with Link throughout his entire journey. But I promised her that I would help guide him and help him out as much as I could.

Princess Zelda explained that the next Spiritual Stone was located on Death Mountain. She took out a sheet of parchment and began writing on it. She said that the entrance was closed off, but with her letter the guard should let Link pass. She also wrote a letter for me, so the guards would let me back into her garden when I came back to give my report.

"I will continue to protect the Ocarina of Time while you collect the Spiritual Stones. Let's get the Triforce before Ganondorf does and defeat him! My attendant will guide you two out of the castle. Link, good luck out there. Kai, I look forward to the next time we meet." She said, giving us each a letter with her signature on it.

We turned to leave the Princess's garden to see a large woman standing at the exit. She had short white hair and wore a blank expression. The markings on her armor looked odd; on her chest was an engraving of an eye with a single tear drop coming out of it. Although her appearance was anything but normal, I felt that I had seen her before…but where?

"My name is Impa of the Sheikahs. All that the Princess has foretold is true. My role in the Princess's dream was to teach the melody passed down by the Royal Family to the one from the forest." She explained to Link.  
"Only those associated with the Royal Family know of this song. I used to play this as a lullaby for the Princess when she was just an infant. Use it on your journey to prove your connection with the Princess."

With that, she pulled out an ocarina and Link did the same. Then Impa began playing a beautiful lullaby. It was strange, each note that she played had a mysterious force behind it. After she was finished, Link closed his eyes, played the lullaby back to her, and the mysterious presence reappeared. I had heard rumors that the Royal Family possessed some divine power, but this was my first time ever experiencing something quite like this. Link opened his eyes and thanked Impa for teaching him the mystical song.  
She nodded and said "If the guards find you there will be trouble. Allow me to guide you outside the castle."

We followed Impa back into the courtyard, and came to a wall with the symbol of the Triforce engraved on it. She pulled out her ocarina and played Zelda's Lullaby once again. The wall lit up and seemed to disappear right before our eyes! Behind it was a long tunnel with torches lighting the way. Impa stepped inside the passage, motioning for us to follow. We followed her inside and the wall reappeared behind us. Since we had met, I could not take my eyes off of the mysterious woman. I just knew I had seen her somewhere before. She must have felt my gaze on her, for she turned to me and stared at me with her deep red eyes. My own eyes widen with the realization of where I had last seen her.

"It has been quite some time since we last met, Kai." She said, finally acknowledging my presence. Link turned to me with a confused look, but I only glared back at Impa.

"I knew that I had seen you somewhere before…Tell me, what is it like working for that coward of a man?" I snarled. If I had fangs they would surely be out. Impa had been the woman who had accompanied my father to my house that one night many years ago. When she has forced him to leave she addressed him as 'sir', which could only mean that she worked for him. Her eyes brought the memory back so forcefully that I shook with the same rage that I had on that night.

"Ah, I see you still hold a deep resentment towards your father." She sighed. "You must understand that your father has been put in a very difficult situation. He is one of the highest ranked knights in all of Hyrule, and the most respected. Had the word gotten out that he had fathered a child with a woman who was not his wife then he –"

"I don't give a damn about what would have happened to his social standing! He deceived my mother into thinking he loved her and then left us both for dead when things turned inconvenient for him! I don't care what his excuse is; he is a coward who deserves to die!"  
Angry tears began to pool in my eyes as I continued to curse that man's existence. I hated him with every fiber of my being. I wanted nothing more than to take revenge on him for all of the suffering he had caused.

Impa looked at me sadly and sighed again. "Death is a harsh thing to wish on a person. You must be careful with that temper of yours; it might be your downfall one day."

We had finally made it to the end of the tunnel to a large wooden door. Link had remained silent throughout the course of my rant. I had told him about that night, so I was sure that he understood that was going on. He just chose not to butt in, which was a wise choice.

Turns out that the tunnel had led us right back to the castle grounds where we had entered the day before. Impa turned to Link and explained that the Gorons living on Death Mountain had the next Spiritual Stone in their possession.

"If you would like, I could show you the way to Death Mountain. I know that this land must be new to you since you come from the forest –"

"I will take him there." I interrupted.  
"I have been to Kakariko Village dozens of times."

"Are you sure?"

"I made a promise to the Princess that I would help Link in any way that I could." I said coldly.

"Very well. Link, the Princess is waiting for you to return with the stones. Make sure you send a detailed account of your journey to Kai so that she can report to the Princess. We're counting on you!"  
Impa began stepping away from us and pulled something out from her pocket. Before I could even open my mouth she threw it down and huge flash blinded us.

When we opened our eyes again she was gone.


End file.
